Jonathan Moss
Jonathan Moss is perhaps the most famous doctor in Suda, a virtuoso of life and death, known for his unparalleled skill with artificial limbs and organs. An artificial lung might save a nobleman whose lung got punctured in a duel - but, without the services of the doctor, the operation comes with great risk and might irreparably damage the artificial lung or outright kill the nobleman. Moreover, for many of his prospective customers, finding the right artificial organs or limb is already a challenging task, for such items are greatly treasured and incredibly rare. Jonathan himself is now a man in his forties, thin and dressed in plain grey clothing. On his left hand, he is missing two fingers and he walks with a noticeable limb. He is always polite and professional, but maintains a distance to anyone but his trusted assistant, Thomas. Known for his discretion, many clients tend to speak freely of their personal lives during the regular maintenance session for their body parts, treating him almost as a confidante and therapist. History At young age, Jonathan, the bastard son of a minor noble and a kitchen maid, became fascinated with the various angelic artefacts and their potential to save - and improve - lives. His father bought Jonathan’s silence about the circumstances of his heritage by sponsoring his apprenticeship with one of Lichtheim’s better doctors. He quickly proved himself talented and, upon his master's death, took over his practice. Shortly after, his mother fell sick, suffering from a malady of the heart. As luck had it, he managed to procure an artificial heart. Before the operation, however, a wealthy merchant suffering from a similar condition had mercenaries break into the doctor's office and steal the organ. The merchant's surgeon, a practitioner of lesser skill, botched the operation, destroying the heart in the process. Both the merchant and Jonathan's mother died a few weeks later. Today, Jonathan has more or less completely cornered the market on artificial body parts, purchasing them up with the wealth from his flourishing practice. The waiting list for his services is long and he charges his clients exorbitant prices both for the initial operation and the necessary maintenance that follows. In addition, any body part that he provides is merely leased to the client and will be reclaimed by the doctor upon the client's death. However, the doctor also has, from time to time, offered his services and the necessary artifacts at no costs to those particularly in need. His staff consists almost exclusively of such people, and, as result, they are fiercely loyal to him. Jonathan himself is now a man in his forties, thin and dressed in plain grey clothing. On his left hand, he is missing two fingers and he walks with a noticeable limb. He is always polite and professional, but maintains a distance to anyone but his trusted assistant, Thomas. Known for his discretion, many clients tend to speak freely of their personal lives during the regular maintenance session for their body parts, treating him almost as a confidante and therapist. The Judge Over the last decade, a good number of his clients - and others with artificial body parts - have fallen victim to a heinous murderer, sometimes referred to as "the Judge". They are quietly abducted and then, a few hours later, found in dark alley without their respective artificial body part, with a small note on their person stating that they are not worthy. Depending on the body part, some have survived while others, such as a person with an artificial heart, are found dead already. None of the survivors remembers anything of the abduction. The murderer has disappeared and appeared irregularly, sometimes taking two victims within the span of a few weeks, and then staying inactive for more then a year. A bounty is out for his head but, without any description of his person, the hunt for him has been fruitless. The murderer and Jonathan are, in truth, one and the same. After the death of his mother, Jonathan vowed that only those worthy and honorable enough deserve the artifacts of the Angels. As a result, he offers his services only to those he deems worthy and only as long as this remains the case. Through the maintenance sessions and a network of informants - which he ordinarily uses to keep a lookout for new artifacts - he has been able to keep track of his clients. His first victim, a noblewoman of House Thies, divulged to him many secrets, among those a series of affairs she had with other men. At some point, Jonathan concluded that she no longer deserved the blessing he bestowed on her and, with careful planning and help of his assistant, freed her from it - she still lives today, but lacking one of her lungs, is more or less bedridden. Having caused death and suffering in this manner, Jonathan considers himself equally unworthy of the artifacts and so has made no effort to improve his own health. Category:Character Category:Suda Category:Doctor